NAIROBI Kenya, Jul 24 – Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has clarified that the Adani Airport Holdings Limited Group will be investing in a new passenger terminal building at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) amid claims of sell of the airport to the group.
KAA Acting Managing Director Henry Ogoye, in a statement on Wednesday, said that they have received an investment proposal under the Public Private Partnerships Act 2021 from Adani Airport Holdings Limited.
Adani is an Indian group and a key airport operator that is set to invest in a second runway and refurbishment of the existing facilities at JKIA.
“The Project Agreement will be preceded by Stakeholder Engagement, the National Treasury approval, the Attorney General clearance and the Cabinet approval,” he said.
Ogoye says the proposal will be subjected to technical, financial, and legal reviews alongside requisite due processes in compliance with the PPP Act 2021.
He said the infrastructure is aging and it is a threat to regional competitiveness.
“The attendant investment requirement is significant and cannot be funded with the prevailing fiscal constraints without recourse to private funding,” he stated.
Ogoye assured JKIA staff that there jobs are safe.
This follows claims that the airport is being sold to Adani Group that led to demonstrations dubbed ‘Occupy JKIA’ on Tuesday that failed to materialize as security was heightened at the airport.
The Parliament has also launched investigations into the alleged private deal to lease the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Indian firm.
In the Senate, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka petitioned the House’s Transport Committee to establish the facts about the deal.
Onyonka wants KAA to provide details of the contract between them and transaction advisor ALG, a Spanish firm.
However, the government denied the claims to sell the airport.
Foreign Cabinet Secretary and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi allayed fears that the government is mulling the sale of JKIA, saying no such plans have been made.
Mudavadi, who appeared before the Budget and Appropriation Committee chaired by Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) to defend the supplementary budget one estimates for the financial year 2024/2025, said the decision requires parliamentary approval.
“Let me put it clearly that the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is not on sale. It’s a public asset and a strategic asset. If it wants to be sold you can only, do it after a full public process that Parliament endorses,” he said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary elaborated that KAA should initiate plans to modernize the international airport to enhance passenger experience and increase traffic.
